Editor’s Note: Gregg Stanton, who wrote this column for years, passed away last week at his home in Hawaii. To honor his memory, we are re-running the very first Underwater Wakulla column from Nov. 18, 2010.
Welcome to Underwater Wakulla.
We are indeed blessed with one of the best Florida environments: clean air and water, lush plant and animal populations, and relatively low human population density. Wakulla County has long been known for its beautiful trails, primitive waterways, abundant fishing offshore, and world renowned parks.
Less appreciated by us locally is the labyrinth of underground trails that snake down through Wakulla County and deliver millions of gallons of water to the coast. They too can be beautiful.
My name is Gregg Stanton. I, like many of you, came to this county with my wife many years ago. We have raised a family, completed careers, and in retirement, sought enjoyment in this aquatic wonderland. As a retired FSU Marine Biologist and teacher, I continue to instruct and support people in underwater activities such as spearfishing, photography, scuba diving, and speleology.
This year we expanded Wakulla Diving into a world class underwater support facility centrally located in Medart, near the coast and in the middle of cave country.
My son suggested I write a column that would bring our hidden underground and underwater world into the daylight.
I have been fortunate to have spent a considerable time underwater, from the Bay of Siam, Palau, Hawaii, Antartica, Canada, and all across the continental USA, to the Bahamas and Caribbean Sea, and of course Florida.
I participated on research projects where we spent weeks living underwater or on boats, hiked to and dove remote jungle lakes, or under thick ice, and swam miles into caves using life support technology used by astronauts.
In the weeks that follow, perhaps we may share a different perspective about Wakulla County: an aquatic perspective that has brought and kept me a resident here these past 40 years.
